Finally
by TwoBrothersWriting
Summary: Han Solo and Luke Skywalker friendship story.


**8 ABY**

Han Solo broke open a bottle of Whyren's Reserve that he had hidden away in one of his smuggler's hideaways within the Falcon. He held it up for inspection and grinned. "I've been saving this for a special day." He looked over to his friend, Luke Skywalker, sitting over at the Dejarik table.

Luke smiled widely and gave him an innocent look. "Special day? Do you mean the end of your freedom?"

Han smirked. "Funny. Remind me to harass you before your wedding day."

Luke's face fell and Han winced knowing he had struck a nerve. He pulled the lid off of the bottle and poured two stiff drinks. He walked over and put the glasses down on the table and sat across from his friend. "What's wrong now, Luke?"

Luke gave Han a sad smile as he ran his hand through his unruly blond hair. "I just keep thinking about what Mother Rell said."

Han sipped his drink as he tried to remember who Mother Rell was. "Oh," he said with sudden recognition of the name. "The old lady from the Singing Mountain Clan on Dathomir. The one you said could predict the future. Didn't she tell you something good?"

Luke nodded as he slumped dejectedly in his seat. "She said that I would marry and have children...but here I am nearly twenty seven years old and no wife or children."

Han hooked on elbow over the backrest of his chair. "Look at me, Luke. I'm finally getting married at thirty-seven. And as for you not having children…you may have plenty that you don't know of." Han gave Luke a mischievous leer.

Luke shook his head. "I don't have any kids."

Han laughed. "And how would you know that? You haven't kept up with all of those women you hooked up with during your Rogue days."

Luke scoffed. "Believe it or not Han, I was too busy fighting a war. I didn't have time for women."

Han gave out a bellowing laugh, slapping his hand on his knee while doing so. "Please! Are you saying that time you had to double up in the cockpit with Prithi your little Chalacta girlfriend nothing happened?" Han gave him a knowing grin. "I heard about that little fiasco from Leia for weeks. She hated Prithi." Han sipped his drink again and smiled over the rim of the glass. "Whereas I loved Prithi…in a purely platonic sense. I am pretty sure your sister, before she knew you were her brother, had a slight crush on you. You dating Prithi pulled Leia's attention away from you and onto me." Han put a thumb to his chest. "Yours truly. Her scoundrel flyboy."

"So are you saying Leia started dating you to make me jealous?"

Han shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time she tried that trick…remember that long open mouth kiss on Hoth?"

Luke dropped his head to the table in an exaggerated look of embarrassment. "Can we please never, ever talk about that kiss again?"

Han laughed. "You got it, kid…but you have to tell me something in return."

Luke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?"

Han grabbed the bottle and poured out two more shots. "I always wanted to know what happened during that mission with you and Prithi. I know you two were seeing each other and there you were cozying up in a cockpit together. Her sitting on your lap." Han put down his glass and gave his future brother-in-law a poodoo-eating grin. "Did you two get into the _Wild Space_ _Club_?"

When Luke turned bright red Han had his answer. The _Wild Space Club_ was a term for people having sex in spaceships and didn't have cabins or in commercial transport seating where sexual activity was illegal.

Han started laughing. "I knew it. You had hours to kill. You might as well see how flexible a human and Chalactian can be together."

"Okay, you got me. Just don't tell my sister or I'll ask Chewie to give me dirt on you to tell Leia."

Han gave him a lopsided grin. "Deal." He paused briefly. "So tell me why Mother Rell's prediction is getting you all bent out of shape now."

Luke settled his elbows on the playing table and steepled his fingers. "I don't know…always the groomsman and never the groom."

Han gave him a sad smile. It'll happen Luke. And it'll happen when and where you least expect it.

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**9 ABY**

"Come on, Luke, I want details." Han had cornered his friend in the hallway of the former Imperial Palace after they got out of a mind-numbing briefing with the Senate.

Luke gave a frustrated sigh. He stopped and leaned against the wall, his hands shoved into his trouser pockets, head hanging down pensively. "There are no details. She's not interested in me?"

Han's shoulders slumped. "I can't believe it. I thought I saw all the signs. I was sure she had her eyes on you."

Luke breathed deeply as he looked up to his friend. "I talked to her while we were on the roof. I even gave her my lightsaber. She went down to the meeting with me. But later she left with a goodbye and a handshake."

"Damn it," Han said frustrated. He was positive Mara and Luke was destined to be together. He wasn't a Force user, but he knew people. He would be a lousy smuggler if he couldn't read the non-verbal gestures of his clients, and Luke and Mara _were _sending signals to each other. "So you told her you wanted to go out on a date and she said no?"

Luke blushed as he started fidgeting from one foot to the other. "Not exactly. I gave her my lightsaber and told her I thought she deserved it and I wanted her to have it…she said thank you and that was it."

Han shook his head in disbelief. "I know she's a Force-sensitive, but she might not be a kriff'n mind-reader. Are you expecting her to ask you out?"

"No."

Han grabbed his friend by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Then you man up, go to her and say, '_Would you like to go to dinner with me?'_."

Luke turned away. "It's too late. She left with Karrde. I'll ask her out the next time I see her."

Han let out an exasperated breath. "Luke, you better." Han turned and left his friend sulking in the hallway. He knew Luke wasn't going to ask her. He could only hope that Mara makes the first move or that the Force gets sick and tired of those two circling each other and ends up Force-shoving them together.

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**12 ABY**

Han walked quickly to the patient recovery room of the hospital. He hoped nobody would notice the bulge under his jacket. He sneaked in a small bottle of chocolate schnapps that Luke favored. After the Jedi's horrific ordeal on the _Eye of Palpatine_, Han figured he could use a drink.

When he arrived to the room he halted at the door surprised by the scene before him. There was Cray Mingla in a short, short dress leaning over and kissing Luke. '_Not Cray,'_ Han corrected himself. This was something different. Something so strange he wasn't sure if he could ever accept it.

Cray in a stupid suicidal gesture allowed the consciousness of an Old Republic Jedi named Callista to take over her body. Now Luke was saying he's in love. Han knew better. Luke was in a crisis situation and was injured. Han knew from experience that while in harrowing situations people tend to bond to each other…only to find out years down the line that they were not a romantic match. Han hoped Luke found this out sooner than later. If not, well then, Han would just have to get used to being around Callista.

The woman must have heard Han shuffling his feet in the hallway. She looked up and smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you earlier. Come on in."

Han entered and gave Callista his best fake smile. "I just came to see Luke." Han hooked a thumb in his friend's direction. He looked at Luke and then to Callista hoping one of them would get the hint that Han wanted to talk to Luke alone. Fortunately Luke's new girlfriend got the hint. "I'll leave you two alone."

After she left Han broke out in a wide grin. "You don't know how happy Leia and I are that you are healing up alright. I don't think I've ever seen you so beat up."

Luke smiled. "Bacta is becoming my best friend." Luke looked down bashfully. "You were right Han."

Han frowned. "About what?"

"Remember before your wedding you told me I'd find that special person. That it'll happen when and where I'd least expect it. Well it did."

Han sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Yep, one never expects to find love the way you did." '_The soul of a dead Jedi—old enough to be Luke's mother—takes over the body of a hot female Jedi student.'_ Han had to admit that _was_ totally unexpected. He wasn't too keen on Luke's new romance, but he wasn't going to ruin Luke's great mood. "I'm happy for you Luke." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the schnapps.

Luke's eyes lit up with mischief. "Leia is going to kill you for bringing that in."

Han smirked. "That can be our little secret."

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**13 ABY**

"Why does this always happen to me?" Luke moaned as he drank a glass of ale with Han at a local pub.

Han had heard about Callista leaving Luke and decided to snatch him out of the Jedi Temple of Yavin and bring him to Coruscant where he would be with family.

"Luke, you'll find love. Callista just wasn't the one."

Luke folded his arms across the table and cradled his head on top. "When will I find the right one? I'm thirty-two. I should have kids by now."

Han rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "Luke…did you ever think that maybe you already met your soul mate?"

He looked back up and Han could see unshed tears in his eyes. "Who?"

He rolled his eyes. "Who? Come on, maybe the Force-strong gorgeous woman who saved your life multiple times. The one I told you to ask out. The one you promised me you would ask out the next time you saw her. Well, did you? Did you ask Mara out?"

Luke moaned and dropped his head back down. "No."

"Well, there's your problem."

Luke shook his head. "She's not interested in me…otherwise she would have asked me out."

Han was getting sick of listening to Luke's whining. "Luke, are you interested in Mara?"

He looked up enough to prop his chin on his arms. "Yes."

"And did you ask her out?" Han said in a voice one would use to explain something to a five-year-old.

Luke sighed. "No."

Han stood and threw some credit chips on the table. "There's your answer to all your problems. Ask her out. Maybe not now when you are on the rebound, but eventually." Han regarded at him sternly like a father chastising his son. "Promise me."

Luke pouted. "I promise."

Han gave his cocky smile. "Good, problem solved."

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**19 ABY**

"Han! Wait up!"

Han turned to find Luke running down the hallway of the Imperial Palace. Following him in a more casual pace was Mara Jade. Han smiled. Maybe the kid finally did it. Maybe he asked her out. Han nodded to Mara who had an uncharacteristic smile on her face. "Nice to see you back in one piece."

Mara grinned. "Thanks to Luke."

Luke was shuffling his feat nervously. "We just talked to Leia and we wanted to catch you before you left planet." Luke turned to Mara and smiled lovingly. "We have some news."

Han didn't wait for Luke to tell him. He gave a whoop and smacked the younger man on the shoulder. "Finally! You asked her out."

Luke shook his head. "No I asked her to marry me."

The smiled dropped from Han's face for only a fraction of a second. '_The kid is going to marry somebody he never dated'._ Han regained his composure quickly and beamed at the couple. "I'm happy for you two." Han then wagged a finger at Luke. "You could have been married probably for the last ten years if you followed my advice."

Luke's shoulder's slumped. "You're right, but I don't think we were ready for it back then."

Mara looked to Han and Luke. "What are you talking about? What wasn't I ready for?"

Luke sighed. "Han told me ten years ago that I should ask you out, that we were meant for each other…but I didn't ask you out."

Mara's eyes went wide. "You didn't ask me out because you didn't think I was ready for it?" She shook her head in disgust. "I was more than ready for it. I thought you never asked because I threatened to kill you so much." She threw her hands in the air. "I was in my mid-twenties. Believe me I was more than ready to start dating."

"Now, now kids," Han said while putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "You finally came to your senses, which is good." He gave their shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Now just don't take another ten years to make me an Uncle."

Luke gave a nervous grin. "I'll get working on that right away."

Mara smacked his shoulder, but couldn't contain her amusement. "Oh are you?"

Luke snaked his arms around her waist and leaned in for a passionate kiss. He pulled away from her lips only long enough to whisper to her. "Yes, I am. No more procrastinating." He leaned forward capturing her lips with his.

Han realized those two lovebirds had completely forgot he was standing there. He rolled his eyes and started walking down the hall. The last thing he heard from the two was the question, "Your place or mine?"

Han whispered with a smirk. "Finally! A happy ending!"


End file.
